Preparing effective interview questions
Developing interview questions
Develop interview questions based on the requirements outlined in the job description and person specification. The questions should assess all essential criteria and explore any desirable attributes that may help identify the strongest candidates.
Questions should enable candidates to provide relevant examples of their:
- Knowledge
- Skills
- Experience
- Behaviours and values
- Understanding of safeguarding responsibilities
- Ability to reflect on and improve their practice
- Suitability for the specific role
Open and competency-based questions often provide the strongest evidence. For example:
- “Tell us about a time when you supported a child with an emerging additional need. What did you do, and what was the outcome?”
- “How would you respond if you were concerned about the behaviour of a colleague towards a child?”
- “Describe a situation in which you had to adapt an activity to meet the needs of individual children.”
- “Tell us about a time when you received feedback that challenged your practice. How did you respond?”
Panel members may ask appropriate follow-up questions to clarify a response or obtain further evidence. However, ask the core questions consistently of every candidate.